If a family’s house is its universe, the refrigerator is its sun. Everything revolves around it, from grab-and-go breakfasts to nutritious lunches and family dinners. That’s why purchasing a new refrigerator is such a significant event. Everything from the configuration and size to the finishes and specific features must be considered. Of course, there’s no avoiding the price: they’re exorbitant. But you’ve come to the correct spot if you’re looking for a great selection from a dependable brand that will stay in your family’s orbit for years to come.
Every year, we test a wide range of kitchen equipment, from gas stoves to blenders to toaster ovens and everything in between. Refrigerators are rated based on their ability to maintain the optimal temperature for grocery list essentials such as lettuce, deli meat, and frozen goods. Temperature consistency from shelf to shelf in the refrigerator and freezer sections, as well as temperature changes in particular regions over time, are all factors we consider for each model. We put fridges to the test on both refrigerator shelves and crisper drawers to see how well they keep moisture. We also consider the usefulness of the manual, the kind and simplicity of use of the controls, and the comfort of holding the door handles when evaluating each refrigerator.
The type of shelves in the refrigerator cavity and on the doors, the ease with which the freezer drawer and baskets could be opened, the presence or absence of crispers with humidity controls, and the presence or absence of a meat keeper or deli drawer with temperature controls are all factors that we consider. All noteworthy features were evaluated, including Wi-Fi connectivity, but no ratings were given.
The GE Profile Series French-Door Refrigerator, which comes with a Keurig K-Cup Brewing System, is our top Lab selection. It impressed our Lab specialists with its clever design features and scored highest on temperature maintenance and uniformity tests. It’s also Wi-Fi enabled, so you can use the free app to change settings, prepare water for coffee, and more. According to tests, the following are the best refrigerators to buy:
Best Overall Refrigerator: GE Profile Series French-Door Refrigerator
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Table of Contents
How to find the best refrigerator for you
These are the most important factors to consider while buying for a new refrigerator, whether online or in a store. After you’ve decided, don’t miss our definitive guide to arranging your fridge from our Test Kitchen.
Dimensions: You’ll need to match the width of your fridge to the layout of your kitchen because it usually has to fit between counter space. Built-ins and cabinet-depth versions are flush with the countertops and cabinets, although they are sometimes more expensive.
Configuration: Side-by-sides, top-freezers, and bottom-freezers are the main players. The doors of side-by-side refrigerators and freezers take up less room to swing open, but you’ll have to lean down to reach the food at the bottom of the fridge and freezer. The most-used compartment is at eye level in bottom-freezers (such as French-door versions). Top-freezer refrigerators are less expensive, but you must bend to get into them.
Finishes: The most common material is stainless steel, which has a sleek and neutral appearance, while some people prefer white or black refrigerators (or the recently popular black stainless steel and even carbon fiber). Exterior paneling that complements your kitchen cabinets is common on built-ins. Many contemporary finishes are resistant to fingerprints. We noticed a lot of customized designs this year at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show; it’s a trend to keep an eye on!
Features: Consider whether the shelves and interior drawers are appropriate for your family’s dining habits. If you prefer to keep a few bottles of wine in the fridge, make sure it has enough height and/or movable shelf; if you order pizza regularly, a fridge that can fit the box inside is a must. Humidity controls on crisper drawers, meat or deli drawers, and other features in certain refrigerators help keep goods at the right temperature for storage.
Top best refregerators you should buy
Series French-Door Refrigerator
For temperature management and consistency, the GE Profile Series French-Door Refrigerator with a Keurig K-Cup Brewing System received high ratings. Its clever design characteristics also astonished our Kitchen Appliance Lab experts: A top-of-the-line refrigerator is included, as well as a built-in Keurig coffeemaker in the door. It’s Wi-Fi enabled, so you can modify settings, warm water for coffee, and receive notifications if the door is open after downloading the app. It also works with Amazon Echo.
More details:
- Available finishes: slate, black slate, stainless steel, black stainless
- Dimensions: 36 x 36 x 70 inches
Wide French Door Refrigerator
This Maytag model is the one to beat if you want a good fridge without paying a lot of money. Slide-out shelves and a built-in water and ice dispenser with a filter are included. In our tests, the temperatures in the fridge and freezer were consistent, and the door shelves were chilly enough to securely keep dairy (which is a no-go on most fridges). In the crisper, lettuce lasted five days, although the controls were a little hard to change, so keep the handbook nearby.
More details:
- Available finishes: fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, white, black
- Dimensions: 36 x 70 x 35 inches
French Door Refrigerator
The French door refrigerator by Kenmore Elite is the king of compartments, in addition to maintaining consistent temperatures. It has a lot of storage space, adjustable shelves for tall goods, and two trays in the freezer, as well as a drawer. Produce, meat, poultry, and fish may all benefit from climate-controlled storage containers (in the crisper drawer, lettuce stayed as crisp as the day it was purchased for a solid week). The smudge-proof black stainless steel exterior choice is very appealing – it’ll keep fingerprints at bay for days!
More details:
- Available finishes: stainless steel, black stainless steel
- Dimensions: 36 x 70 x 36 inches
InstaView Door-in-Door Refrigerator
The LG InstaView Refrigerator does a fantastic job of keeping your food fresh, but it’s the unusual door-in-door feature that truly sets it apart: Without having to open the entire door, you may quickly take a food or beverage from the easy-access compartment. The InstaView technology allows you to knock on the see-through door’s window to turn on the interior lights.
More details:
- Available finishes: stainless steel
- Dimensions: 32 x 70 x 36 inches
Café French-Door Refrigerator
The exceptionally beautiful (and adjustable) design of GE’s newest range of refrigerators sets it apart. Choose from brushed bronze, copper, black, or stainless steel handles to complement your matte white or black exterior.
This style is counter-depth, allowing you to match the bar handles to your cabinet pulls. The Café variant with the French doors includes an inside water dispenser and is also Wi-Fi enabled.
More details:
- Available finishes: matte white, matte black
- Dimensions: 36 x 70 x 31 inches
PerfectCool Series Refrigerator
The dazzling PerfectCool French door refrigerator from Miele enhances the appearance of your kitchen while also increasing the market value of your house. We appreciate the soft-close doors and twin freezer drawers (no more rummaging through mounds of frozen meat to find your ice cream).
More details:
- Available Colors: Stainless Steel
- Dimensions: 36 x 80 x 24 inches
Side-by-Side Refrigerator
The temperature control and homogeneity of Whirlpool’s 36-inch side-by-side model are superb. A built-in water filter, water dispenser, and ice maker are all included in the door. Except for the door open alarm (which should make a noise!) The computerized controls make a lot of noise. Fill the four door bins and the sliding shelves with your favorite foods.
More details:
- Available finishes: monochromatic stainless steel
- Dimensions: 69 x 36 x 33 inches
Series Refrigerator
The fact that Frigidaire’s no-frills top freezer model comes with humidity-controlled crisper drawers, bright, adjustable shelves to avoid spillage, and interior LED lighting impressed us. This model performed well in our tests in terms of temperature control and consistency.
More details:
- Available finishes: stainless steel
- Dimensions: 70 x 30 x 33 inches
Bottom Freezer Refrigerator
LG’s bottom freezer fridge, like the other top models on our list, exhibited outstanding temperature control and consistency, and the digital controls were simple to operate throughout our testing. There is no water dispenser, however there is an ice maker. Inside, spill-proof shelving and a door open alarm have been installed.
More details:
- Available finishes: stainless steel
- Dimensions: 69 x 33 x 33 inches
Family Hub Refrigerator
Consider the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator to be your family’s command center in the kitchen. You can ask your fridge to add goods to a shopping list, order meals from Grubhub, or play Pandora with Bixby, Samsung’s smart speech assistant (on the built-in speakers).
We were delighted by its ability to maintain extremely consistent temperatures in the fridge and freezer during our tests, which is critical for keeping goods fresh.
More details:
- Available finishes: fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, fingerprint
- Dimensions: 36 x 72 x 29 inches
